[PAGE 1] BOARDOFTRUSTEES ASBURYPARKLIBRARY 500FIRSTAVENUEASBURYPARK,NJ07712 MARCH,2120245:00PM APPROVEDMINUTES 1 Treasurer Jen Souder called the meeting to order at 5:07pm and announced the meeting has been advertised in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act. Attendance: Present: Absent: Jennifer Souder Staff: Kerri Martin Kimmy Taylor Kathleen Melgar Greg LaSala Jackie Sharpe Nico Belott Werner Baumgartner Diane Shelton Robert Mikos Danele Berke Public Participation Motion to open public participation by Jen Souder at 5:08PM, seconded by Diane Shelton. All in favor, motion carried. Motion to close public participation by Diane Shelton at 5:08PM, seconded by Danele Berke. All in favor, motion carried. The Board of Trustees took a moment to acknowledge Diane Shelton for years of service as Board President and presented a certificate of appreciation. Approval of Minutes February 15, 2024 Motion to approve the February minutes with an edit in the Treasurer’s report section and an addition of a trustee last name in the attendance section by Jacki Sharpe, seconded by Kimmy Taylor. All in favor, motion carried. Treasurer’s Report and March Bill List Profit and Loss February Treasurer Jen Souder presented the Profit and Loss Report from February 2024. Unpaid Bills March [PAGE 2] BOARDOFTRUSTEES ASBURYPARKLIBRARY 500FIRSTAVENUEASBURYPARK,NJ07712 MARCH,2120245:00PM APPROVEDMINUTES 2 Motion to approve the March bill list including total bills and quotes by Diane Shelton, seconded by Danele Berke. All in favor, motion carried. There was a discussion regarding Amazon capital expenses and where the Library primarily purchases collection materials from. Additionally, Director Kathleen Melgar shared that this bill list contains a reimbursement to the city for a previous employee’s sick payout that was planned for in this year’s budget. Board President and Vice President Report No Reports. Committee Chair Members and Reports Personnel Chair Diane Shelton shared meeting notes, including that the committee reviewed an updated organizational chart, and will be reviewing the library’s personnel manual. Additionally there was discussion about a new hire for the children’s librarian position and a disciplinary notice. Budget & Finance Treasurer Jen Souder reported that the committee reviewed the revised 2024 budget and suggested changes. Also the committee looked at the new categories and capital funds. They recommend making decisions regarding capital improvements and moving forward with T&M suggestions. Building & Grounds Committee member Jackie Sharpe shared an overview of the meeting, including a walk through, a review of what has been completed and marking priorities that could be put in the strategic plan. Jackie Sharpe noted she felt the building could use painting, powerwash, and carpeting in the Junior Room. Policy & Governance No report. Strategic Plan Chair Jacki Sharpe shared that a meeting was had, and there was a decision to move forward with a three year road map. A survey was created that Nico Belott made a Google Form out of that is in the drive folder for the board to review. The survey will be shared with the Homeowner’s association, the chamber of commerce, the Senior Center, Growing up on the Westside, as well as distributing paper copies at the library. Diane Shelton suggested that similar to the outreach for Heritage Trail, she had utilized facebook groups to tap into networks. Kimmy Taylor volunteered to share with the Board of Education. Other trustees also agreed that the survey could be distributed via the City’s newsletter. [PAGE 3] BOARDOFTRUSTEES ASBURYPARKLIBRARY 500FIRSTAVENUEASBURYPARK,NJ07712 MARCH,2120245:00PM APPROVEDMINUTES 3 Jennifer Souder asked if we could add an “Other” option “For what other libraries do you visit?” Danele Berke shared that we could ask an additional question to see why people visit other libraries. Jacki Sharpe said we could put that question following the, “Why do you use the Asbury Park library” question. Kimmy Taylor asked what the time limit would be for survey responses. There was a discussion about what an appropriate time would be to collect survey responses. The board agreed that a month would be a sufficient time frame. Nico Belott will also add to the top of the survey “Deadline by.” A final suggested addition was adding a question to garner interest for a Friends of the Library group. Library Director’s Report Director Kathleen Melgar shared that the library is still cutting back on some hours and outreach until open positions have been filled. One of these positions is part of our New Business section today. There are no updates on the salary ordinance yet. There hasn’t been much movement with the civil service titles, this is taking a while as expected. The library is holding regular staff meetings, updating job descriptions and finalizing evaluations. The state report was submitted and that information is available in the drive for the board to review. Proposals are incoming for network maintenance and ERATE funding. The boiler was repaired this month to bring the library back into compliance with insurance and the city and state were updated. There have been no updates regarding the bank. Old Business Revised 2024 Budget Treasurer Jennifer Souder presented the revised budget for 2024. Kathleen Melgar shared that next meeting we will prepare a resolution to designate the balance brought forward as capital reserve. Motion to approve the revised 2024 budget by Jacki Sharpe, seconded by Diane Shelton. All in favor, motion carried. Board Retreat/Appreciation There are no updates at this time. Kathleen shared that we will reach out to the trustees association and that they might be able to present. Library Salary Ordinance No updates. Friends of the Library/ APPL Foundation No updates. Jacki Sharpe suggested asking the community if they would like to be involved as part of the strategic plan survey. New Business Pest Contract [PAGE 4] BOARDOFTRUSTEES ASBURYPARKLIBRARY 500FIRSTAVENUEASBURYPARK,NJ07712 MARCH,2120245:00PM APPROVEDMINUTES 4 Motion to approve Hunter Pest as the library’s pest control contractor, seconded by Jen Souder. All in favor, motion carried. Personnel Matters - Hiring Request for Katherine E. Vander Wende who is presently working as a youth services librarian and whose salary is within our budget for 2024. Motion to approve Kathleen Melgar’s hiring request of Katherine E. Vander Wende as Asbury Park’s Youth Services Librarian by Danele Berke, seconded by Diane Shelton. All in favor, motion carried. Motion to go into Executive Session by Diane Shelton and seconded by Kimmy Taylor. All in favor, motion carried. WHEREAS, the Open Public Meetings Act allows for the exclusion from discussion at the public portion of a meeting of personnel matters, and WHEREAS, the Asbury Park Public Library wishes to discuss such matters made and will make such discussion public when a proper conclusion has been reached: NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED the next portion will be in Executive Session, for the purpose(s) as outlined and described below. Upon return action may be taken. Motion by Jen Souder to leave executive session, seconded by Kimmy Taylor. All in favor, motion carried. Motion by Jen Souder to move forward with personnel matter, seconded by Danele Berke. All in favor, motion carried. Public Participation Motion to open public participation by Jacki Sharpe at 6:21PM, seconded by Diane Shelton. All in favor, motion carried. Motion to close public participation by Danele Berke at 6:21PM, seconded by Jacki Sharpe. All in favor, motion carried. Items from Individual Board Members Jen Souder wanted to share an acknowledgment of Charle’s Trott’s Women’s Herstory event at the library. Ms. Souder shared that Charles’ event was a wonderful example of what the library can be. There was a great discussion with various women artists. [PAGE 5] BOARDOFTRUSTEES ASBURYPARKLIBRARY 500FIRSTAVENUEASBURYPARK,NJ07712 MARCH,2120245:00PM APPROVEDMINUTES 5 Two trustees shared that a member of the public has complained about the timing of book orders and the delays. Upon further discussion it was revealed that the in question book is not yet released. Morgan Souder shared that TokPics that could highlight books for teens and would be a great addition to the downstairs library. Adjournment Motion to adjourn by Diane Shelton at 6:25PM, seconded by Jacki Sharpe. All in favor, motion carried.